There is a lot of "free" software popping up on the Internet. You may have noticed this - you may be using some of it. Or you may be looking for it.

But what about "free construction software"?

Consider: a software company invests time, a lot of $$, and has programmers, support staff and perhaps commissioned sales staff - and they're offering you something free. What's the catch? Why would such an animal be offered?

I think it's because they're kind, and want to give back to the industry, and want to offer you something with no strings attached.

Rubbish.

They want users. And they want to convert those users, at some point, to "paid customers". Otherwise, what's the point? They're in business to make money. They need revenue - it's gotta come from somewhere.

You have a product. You have a customer. In the middle of that, there has to be a "price", or there's no revenue.

And if it's totally free, the full version - you have to ask yourself some questions, like "how good is this", "what about support", "will it meet my needs", "is it worth the risk to spend time figuring this out, have my team run off it, only to discover later it's buggy, or deficient in some way"?

Some software companies may lure you into a free "limited" version of their software. But who wants to be limited? You get to see part of the picture only, then realize later that you actually need to "upgrade" to get the functionality you need. Can you say "bait and switch"?

Think about it. You're in business to make money. If you're a contactor, you "contract" to do something, get paid a fair dollar for the time and materials you put into the project. This is your livelihood. Can you imagine offering to do a job for free, or expect your subcontractor to do a job for you, for free? Shouldn't you expect that a software system you need to move your business forward, or solve some critical business problems, is worth investing in?

Enough is written about the "service" side of software. It's one thing to have a CD, or access to a web based application, it's quite another thing to get your questions answered, your problems solved. And the best way to do that is still picking up the phone, and talking to someone who can help. Try calling BuildIT at 1-866-585-5050 ext 1 and test us - we'll answer the phone, 7 days a week (or if you call us in the middle of the night North America time, you'll get a return call within hours).

As for "best", "best in breed", or "the construction industry's #1 software"... words are cheap. I actually read about a new kid on the block, a construction software company with a funny name. They are still in beta, have a few contractors apparently that are testing their system, and claim these contractors are "beta testing what can only be described as the best construction management software ever made".  Yikes - they don't even have a product available to the market yet, and somehow, they're the best. I'll give them top marks for self-affirmation, but really - it's not what they think about their software that matters.

The "best" construction software package is the one that you choose, use and get huge value from. The tragedy is the construction firm that spends $5 - $10K on a software product that never gets used. What a waste, and we see that all the time. That would buy a great vacation, why waste it?

Get some success under your belt before you buy. Take advantage of a free test drive. Make sure you understand the guarantee, if they have one. Ours is simple - if you don't think BuildIT is the best fit for your team in the first 30 days of being a customer, we'll refund your subscription, and part as friends. Period.

For the record, we've been around since 2000. We don't claim to be the best, or #1 anything (but many of our customers would make that claim about us ... see what they have to say on our proof page). But we have talked to 1000's of you over the years, have a loyal following of customers getting success with BuildIT, and have online scheduling, file management and communications nailed, with user feedback driving new development every week.

Wondering if BuildIT is "the best" for you? Take the next step - click the big green "Free Trial" button in the top right.

Scott Hutchinson (whose favorite numbers are 16 digits long and starting with a 4 or 5 !!)
scott@builditsystems.com
1 866 585 5050 ext 1

Getting the right information to the right person at the right time.

It's one of BuildIT's maxims. And it just got reinforced with some awesome new code.

File Sharing Made Easy

Files – Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PDF's, drawings, photos, scanned images, whatever you have!

Every job has them. And the challenge often is making sure all the right parties get the right information they need.

Welcome to BuildIT's enhanced file sharing system. Now, you can actually 1) add files to tasks, and 2) share those files with anyone in your contact database via the free Contact Schedule for that contact.

Here's what you do:

1. In the schedule for a job, add one or more files to a task (from the "do this" menu) or the paperclip on the task.
2. Assign that task (if you haven't already) to someone in your contact database (client, sub trade, vendor, supplier, your mother-in-law, it doesn't matter).
3. Send that contact a link to their Contact Schedule (we've made that easy too, just click the square Contact Schedule button next to the contact's name, and follow the instructions at the top of the page).

Your contact will see their schedule, and any associated files for individual tasks. They'll be able to view, print and save attachments. We built this in such a way as to protect your files - they can't delete them, or post updated files. That's your job. And if the file changes at your end, they'll see the latest version at their end.

File Sharing Links

Emailing attachments is pretty standard, but no doubt you've been burnt before making sure everyone got the email... and realizing for whatever reason that the email never went through. Perhaps the attachment was too large, and your recipient's email program just crapped out. Who knows, could be gremlins in the system. Could be that you just forgot to add them!

Here's a great option if you just want to send an email to a contact, and have them download big files right off our server - simply email them one or more "file sharing links".

Select one or more files, then from the "do this" menu, create a "sharing links" email. The system instantly creates an email links to the files. No more babysitting email attachments hoping your recipient got the message.

We've seen the competition charging many $1,000's for file sharing services, especially to the AEC industry. The playing field has changed, and you get the same advantages for a fraction of the cost.

More good stuff to come on file sharing.

The BuildIT Team
1 866 585 5050 x1
http://www.builditsystems.com/

I love what I do, and I love to help those that want help, and I love to be part of BuildIT customers' success stories. 

Fortunately, the good far outweighs the bad.

But the "bad" deserves some mention.

They do say that tragedy + time = humor, and some peeves are actually quite humorous, so hopefully this will conjure up a few laughs.

First, one of my major peeves - totally useless voicemail messages. I make a lot of calls, chasing some folks down who have expressed interest in BuildIT. Some just go AWOL, and some, I believe, just never answer their phone ("the voicemail box belonging to John "to busy to check and delete his voicemails" Doe is full).

Here's one: "Hi, you've reached my voicemail. Either I'm on the phone, or out of the office..." - well, no kidding Buckwheat. Why not just say "Please leave a message and I'll get back with you shortly." That would be easy, to the point, and true.

Or how about this one: "Hi, we're currently assisting other customers, but your call is very important to us..." - call these same people at 11 PM at night, and the voicemail message is the same... so they are NOT assisting other customers, they just want you to think they're busy doing something important, have a bunch of other customers, and well, if you get through to them, you should be thankful. I'm not buying, sorry. As for the part about the call being very important to them... c'mon. That's a bit patronizing. You don't even know who I am (but I will say, when I do call someone on BuildIT business, I fully agree that the call is important :-)

Then there's the receptionist at the roofing company the other day who had the most bizarre greeting (my old chiropractor had a similar one; I subsequently switched chiropractors): "It's a great day at ABC Company, how can I make you smile!?"

Wow, how do you respond? "Uh, I want to speak with Charile!?" - not that that would make me smile... actually, what WOULD make me smile is if you just offered up a credit card and bought BuildIT for a 2 year deal and became a raving, fanatical client, but... that is wishful thinking (and she probably would say "no" anyways - so much for smiling).

I can't recall the last time I made a "cold call" to the marketplace on behalf of BuildIT. Most folks come to us, doing a search online, or are referred, so my calls tend to be with folks that have raised their hand, and by their actions, have indicated they may be interested in BuildIT. Having said that, I occasionally talk to someone who forgot that they were talking to me just days before, and somehow, their Jekyl side turns to Hyde... and I am left being asked to go forth and multiply, literally. The silver lining on that cloud is that they have disqualified themselves from being my customer and benefitting from our services. Next!

I regret that I've made a few blunders in the past, but I've learned to smile, and let go. Early on, I recall one guy sending me an email telling me that our website looked a bit "Mickey Mouse" (that last time I checked Disney.com, they were doing alright!). So I did some investigative reporting, and went to his website. Seems an explosion took place in a font factory. So I thought it my duty to inform him his website looked like a ransom note, and that he may want to ease up on the color pallete a bit.

Some folks just can't take constructive criticism !!

Despite the hiccups, and the odd phone call that can literally suck the life out of a human being, it's a fun deal. And when the right customer comes along, it makes you almost forget the few mines you've stepped on.

Cheers !!

Scott Hutchinson, BuildIT sales dude
scott@builditsystems.com
1 866 585 5050 ext 1